Probably there is no such person who has never been in the forest. Someone is there just to relax, take a walk or breathe fresh air. And someone walks and "hunts", in this case we mean "silent hunting", i.e. picking mushrooms. And everything would be fine, but here everything is not so smooth. Sometimes, you start to cut the mushroom to put in the basket, and you see - it is wormy! Is it worth carrying such "booty" home? What is the best way to proceed? And in general, is it possible to eat worm mushrooms? You will find out about this and much more.
Can worm mushrooms be eaten?
Most are more inclined to believe that there is nothing dangerous. The worm is not a fool, a bad mushroom will not eat. To some extent this is true. After all, there are quite a few intact mushrooms in the forest, therefore, even with industrial harvesting, specimens that are damaged by less than half the worms are considered quite suitable for human consumption. Of course, before sending them to store shelves, they subject the mushrooms to special treatment. Therefore, if you decide to pick mushrooms for yourself, then you should not take worms. Follow the rules - less is better, but better. Otherwise, you may have a problem with how to protect uninfected mushrooms from worms. After all, the larvae are so voracious that they can quickly destroy all your "prey" collected in the forest.
What to do with worm mushrooms?
If you still decide to collect them, then cut off any damaged areas by larvae. So you will have at least some guarantee that other good mushrooms will not be affected. Arriving home, if possible, immediately process them. To do this, cut each worm fungus into pieces and put for several hours in highly salt water. Thus, all larvae will emerge from them.
If you decide not to take the worm mushroom, then in no case do not throw it on the ground. Better put it on a branch or stick it on a stick with spores down. In this position, the mushroom cap will not rot, but will dry out - spores will begin to dust, and soon new foci of mycelium will appear nearby. This is another plus. The dried mushroom in cold winter time will serve as an excellent food for animals. Forest residents will only thank you.
White mushroom worm. What to do?
Cep is considered the most desirable prey not only for humans, but also for the worm. It usually grows in groups. Therefore, when you find one mushroom, be sure to look around, most likely you will find several more. Harvesting an intact crop is a great success! But most often, such mushrooms have already been tasted by worms or other forest inhabitants.
But do not be discouraged, this does not mean at all that they are not worth collecting. You just need to remember a few rules. Worms damage the cep, usually from the tubular layer. Therefore, before you put it in the basket, slightly cut the center of the cap. If there are no worms, then you can safely take it. If, however, in the incision you still found moves and larvae, then for accuracy, check the mushroom leg. Perhaps she will not be touched.
So let's conclude: is it possible to eat worms? As it has already become clear, there is no single answer to this question. If the mushrooms are not badly damaged by the worms, then they can be eaten. Only before processing must you soak them in salt water. But if the mushroom is not only wormy, but also old - it is advisable to leave such an instance in the forest. Otherwise, they can be poisoned. Therefore, it is up to you to decide whether it is possible to eat worms or whether it is better to refuse them.